Ryan Seacrest

Jennifer Lopez has a lot going on in her personal life, but she’s not quitting her day job because of it. Jenny from the block has confirmed that she will return as a judge for Season 11 of American Idol! Yay! A whole ‘nother season of her sartorial disasters interesting fashion choices!

American Idol producer, Nigel Lythgoe confirmed Jennifer’s return during Ryan Seacrest’s radio show, stating: “I am delighted to say that all three judges, along with the brilliant host of American Idol [Seacrest] is back for the next season,” adding that all three judges are about to travel cross-country scouting potential contestants. I guess Jennifer is taking a leave of absence from her pending divorce from Marc Anthony.

Mrs. Anthony Ms. Lopez was previously undecided if she would return to the judges panel, given her busy schedule, but apparently experienced a change of heart. When asked what prompted her return (besides the money and exposure) she remarked: “You get to know [the contestants]. You get to know their hopes and their dreams on camera, off-camera. You’re helping them off camera, you’re helping them on camera and it’s this crazy ride you go on together.” She further added, “You definitely get involved, I definitely get involved, I am very emotional as you can see from the show. That’s just how I am.”

TMZ is however reporting Jlo got a nice pay increase, and will earn $20 million this season in comparison to the $12 million she earned last season. Not too shabby.

In other Jennifer news, she talks to People about that divorce you may have heard about. Jennifer, who was included in People’s Most Beautiful People 2011 List, describes the dissolution of her marriage: “Sometimes it doesn’t work – and that’s sad. But I remain an eternal optimist about love. I believe in love.”

Jennifer describes the choice to leave as a necessary one to save herself: “Sometimes we don’t realize that we are compromising ourselves. To understand that a person is not good for you, or that that person is not treating you in the right way, or that he is not doing the right thing for himself – if I stay, then I am not doing the right thing for me.”

Although her relationship with Marc, her husband of seven years and the father of her 3-year-old twins Max and Emme didn’t work out, Jennifer predictably has nothing but good things to say, giving the standard publicist approved quote for divorcing celebs: “I will always respect Marc as a singer and performer. He will always be in our lives. He will always hold a special place in my heart as the father of my children.”

Photo Credit: Adriana M. Barraza / WENN.com

Are you excited Jennifer is returning as a judge on AI? Thoughts on the divorce?

Months after stating Bravo was likely done with new housewives franchises following the Miami disaster, it seems Andy Cohen is deciding to leave that door open.

In a new interview with Variety, the Bravo executive VP of original programming and development reveals he’s happy with the current franchises on the air but is always open to adding a new series if all things are right.

“We’re at a really good place right now,” says Andy. “Each city will be on for three or four months, and then they go away for close to a year. That’s a nice thing. It allows the women to regroup. It also allows the viewers to miss them.”

Andy adds that if the cast is right, a new additional franchise is possible while also revealing a shocker! According to Andy, Bravo actually tried to get a Texas franchise, which might or might not be my dream franchise, going but failed to find the right cast.

“You only want cities with strong points of view, cities that have strong regional personalities,” explains Andy. “We’ve tried to mount a Texas (incarnation), but we never hit the nail on the head with casting.”

Sighs. Here’s to hoping the socialites, famewhores, and housewives of Dallas will step up to the plate and allow their lives to be featured on Bravo! I stand strong in my belief that a Texas franchise would be G.E.N.I.U.S.

In other Andy news, a new report came out today stating he is one of the three finalists being considered by ABC to replace Regis Philbin on “Live with Regis and Kelly.” The other two finalists are said to be Ryan Seacrest and Mark Consuelos.

TELL US – SHOULD BRAVO EXPAND THE HOUSEWIVES’ SERIES? SURPRISED BRAVO COULDN’T FIND THE RIGHT CAST IN TEXAS?

In the season finale of American Idol the country showdown between finalistsLauren Alaina and Scotty McCreery finally came to an end as a new idol, Scotty was confetti’d! Last night was a show-stopping affair filled with amazing duets, the return of the eliminated idols, a whole slew of celebrity performances, and tons celebs in the audience (did I see Maria Shriver?). A record-breaking 122 MILLION votes were cast nationwide to determine the Season 10 winner.

The all-star line up of celebrity performances (including two from our esteemed judges – more on Jennifer Lopez’s later) featured: Beyonce, Tony Bennett,Lil Jon– fresh off ANOTHER reality show, the resurrected TLC, Tom Jones, Bono and The Edge, and judge Steven Tyler. Kicking off the celebrity duets wasJames Durbin, A.I.’s metal king in a crazy performance with Judas Priest. James definitely has the perfect voice for metal, but whatever he was wearing looked more at home in The Village People!Jacob Lusk, who Ryan Seacrest accurately described “took us to church” this season performed “I Smile” with Kurt Franklin and Gladys Knight. I have to say when he is in his genre Jacob’s voice is amazing! Casey Abramsreturned with his celebrity soulmate Jack Black!! They were so hilarious. Their rendition of Queen’s “Fat Bottomed Girls” was my favorite performance of the night.

Lauren and Scotty performed duets with two of country music’s biggest stars. It was Country Superstar meets Country Beiber in a show-stopping duet with Tim McGraw and Scotty singing “Live Like You Were Dying.” Lauren took the stage with her idol and former Idol winner Carrie Underwood for a performance of “Before He Cheats.” We also met Lauren’s and Scotty’s high school music teachers – who were so cute and so excited to be there – they were both gifted a new Ford Focus!

Marc Anthony, husband of J.Lo, also gave a performance, which surprise! featured his wife. And I have to say I was blown away by J.Lo – and not in a good way. Her portion of the performance consisted of booty jiggling, gyrating, butt thrusting, weave tossing dirty dancing while wearing a fringed leotard. J. Lo – too much. Too, too much. Also, in a booty gyrating, inappropriate for prime-time performance was Lady Gaga wearing an outfit that was 90’s Madonna meets Bret Michaels, who simulated s.e.x. and suicide in the most annoyingly repetitive song I’ve ever heard. I was on the edge too, Gaga – on the edge of extremely annoyed! Oh, for DVR at that moment so I could fast forward.

Finally, the winner was announced and the newest American Idol is: SCOTTY MCCREERY! The country cutie from North Carolina took the prize! Scotty performed his new single “I Love You This Big” (which my friend’s sister dubbed the Barney – as in purple dinosaur – song). Scotty was so choked up after the big win that he could hardly get through the song. During the touching performance he hugged his entire family – but forgot to hug Jack Black who was sitting next to his family. Congratulations Scotty –you were superb from day one – you have a fan in me. Also, congratulations to Lauren for a fantastic season with many outstanding performances. And following last night’s finale, many are now wondering today if Scotty and Lauren are dating? No clear answer on that yet but what do you think?

Well that concludes Season 10 of American Idol. Casting for Season 11 begins soon so if you think you have what it takes to be the next American Idol, try out and let me know if you make it through so I can interview you!

Last night on American Idolit was The Boy Next Door vs. The Southern Belle as Scotty McCreery the 17-year-old from Garner, NC and 16-year old Lauren Alaina from Rossville, GA – the youngest finalists ever – went head to head in the only all-country finale in Idol history.

To kick off finale week, judge Jennifer Lopez took the stage immediately after leaving her figure skating practice in a green sparkly leotard looking umm… dress and Ryan Seacrest fancied it up in an impeccable tux. I don’t know what Randy Jackson was wearing, but it was something… In a shocking bit of information we learned that Lauren sprained her vocal chords during rehearsals! In fact, TMZ reported yesterday that 2nd-runner up Haley Reinhart was backstage and ready to take Lauren’s spot in the case she wasn’t able to perform. The AI doctor however came onto the stage to let us know that Lauren had been heavily medicated but he felt she would be able to perform just fine.

Each finalist went through three rounds performing three different songs with the judges deciding who won each round as part of their critique. Round One consisted of the contestants choosing their favorite song of the season. Scotty went first singing, Montgomery Gentry’s “Gone” giving a show-stopping performance. Then Lauren took the stage singing her rendition of “Flat On The Floor” in a saucy, high-energy performance. The judges determined that even thought it was close Scotty took round one, with Randy saying he felt like he was at a “Scotty concert.”

In Round 2, AI added a new twist by having the Idol’s own idols choose a song for the contestants to perform. Scotty’s musical idol, George Strait, chose “Check Yes or No.” Scotty played guitar himself during the performance and personally, I love this song and I thought he did a great job. Lauren’s idol was none other than past Idol winner Carrie Underwood who chose Pam Tillis’ “Maybe It Was Memphis” for her to perform. Lauren accompanied the song with a Grand Ole Opry style dress and cowboy boots. Round Two went to Lauren only because she is prettier than Scotty according to Steven Tyler! Actually all the judges felt she did a fantastic job with her rendition of the song and were really impressed with her performance.

Round 3 featured each contestant’s first single if they win American Idol. Jimmy Lovine explained how they chose each song for the idols. Scotty’s single “I Love You This Big” was a country ballad sure to get the teenaged girl army swooning as the Country Beiber crooned into the microphone. The judges felt the song really exemplified Scotty’s range and how far he has grown in the competition. Lauren’s single, “Like My Mother Does” was a special homage to her mom. During the performance Lauren walked off stage with a Seacrest escort and found her mom in the audience, giving her a hug. Both Lauren and her very proud mama were moved to tears. The judges loved it with Randy announcing: “Lauren Alaina has arrived America!” Despite her vocal injury Lauren aced Round 3, as well, with the judges deciding she had won it hands down.

Tomorrow AI comes to a close with a live 2-hour Season Finale and the winner is confetti’d!

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Who do you want to win American Idol Season 10? Who was the better performer yesterday?

On Wednesday night’s episode of American Idol, the theme was “Now and Then,” giving each Idol hopeful the opportunity to perform a song that was popular back in the 60’s and 70’s and one that has been a recent chart topper.

Idol fave, Scotty McCreery managed fantastic performances in both categories, choosing Montgomery Gentry’s “Gone” and Elvis Presley’s “Always on My Mind” which caused an excited Steven Tyler to exclaim that Scotty – the sweetest of country boys – had “danced with the devil!” Good job Scotty – and of course, as long as teenage girls in America have access to phones, Scotty isn’t going anywhere! Despite Scotty’s successes, it was underdog Haley Reinhart who stole the show with a performance of The Animals’ “Houses of the Rising Sun” that resulted in a standing ovation from the judges and Randy Jackson declaring it the best performance of the night.

Thursday night’s results show began with J. Lo debuting an ill-advised gold lame pouf skirt she wore to her prom in 1985 as she walked out on stage and Steven debuting his new autobiography: Walk This Way to Sweet Misery: How Bad Plastic Surgery Ruined My Life. Just kidding! It’s actually called Does the Noise in my Head Bother You?: A Rock ‘n’ Roll Memoir.

With 60 million votes cast determining who would move forward to the final four, Idol decided to drag out the suspense by not revealing which side of the stage featured the safe contestants; Ryan Seacrest asked Haley and James Durbin to stand on one side and Lauren Alaina and Jacob Lusk to stand on the other, with Scotty receiving the last critique from mentor Jimmy Lovine. Since, of course, Scotty was moving forward – even if his performance consisted of yodeling – Ryan unfairly asked him to choose the side of the stage he felt featured the safe contestants. Scotty chose wisely, opting to stand with Haley and James, who as it turned out turned were the other members of the top three, leaving Lauren and Jacob as the bottom two.

In the middle of all this drama of who’s safe, who’s not, we were treated to a performance of Jennifer Lopez’s new song: “On The Floor” featuring Pittbull. I couldn’t even pay attention to the song because I was so distracted by J. Lo’s second unfortunate outfit of the night which featured silver sequined harem pants (oh so terrible) and a fringed – yes FRINGED! – sequined, crop-top with Dynasty pouffed sleeves. Oh the nightmare… Isn’t J. Lo supposed to be a fashion icon?

After a rocky performance of Jordin Sparks’ and Chris Brown’s “No Air”, Jacob was eliminated. Jacob has an amazing voice and I am excited to see where his talent will take him. The man who Randy thought had one of the best performances ever on Idol and who Steven Tyler decided had been brought to Idol by “divine intervention” went home with a beautiful and fun performance of “A House Is Not A Home.” Good Luck Jacob!

A month after being saved by the judges, Casey Abramswas yet again eliminated on American Idol… For good this time. Following his energetic performance of “Hi De Ho” on Wednesday night, the 20-year-old Wilmette, IL native received the fewest number of votes landing him in the bottom three with Scotty McCreeryand Jacob Lusk.

“A lot of fans are going to be disappointed with tonight’s result,” said Ryan Seacrest at the beginning of the show and he was right. While this wasn’t a shocking Pia Toscano type elimination, Casey’s ousting was still a bit of a surprise.

“This is what talent looks like,” said Ryan while the judges gave Casey a standing ovation. Casey went on to give an excellent farewell performance, singing “I Cast a Spell on You.”

With Casey’s elimination, five contestants – Jacob, Scotty, Haley Reinhart, James Durbin and Lauren Alaina – live to perform again next Wednesday on Fox at 8/7c. This season’s American Idol winner will be crowned on May 25.

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TELL US – THOUGHTS ON CASEY’S ELIMINATION? WHO DO YOU PREDICT WILL WIN THIS SEASON OF AMERICAN IDOL?

Just like that, we are now one step closer to finding the ultimate American Idol for season 10. Last night, the show narrowed down the 24 finalists to the top 13. The full list – Jacob Lusk, Haley Reinhart, Thia Megia, (back row) Lauren Alaina, Stefano Langone, Naima Adedapo, Karen Rodriguez, Ashthon Jones, James Durbin, Scotty McCreery, Pia Toscano, (front) Paul McDonald and Casey Abrams.

The show began last night with Ryan Seacrestintroducing the Top 24 while also announcing that after the cuts are made, the judges will ask some of the eliminated contestants to sing for a wild-card spot. “It’s going to be a tough night for us,” said judge Jennifer Lopez.

Entertainment Tonight also reports that the judges, who were only supposed to pick 2 wildcards, simply couldn’t narrow it down. “They didn’t make a final decision to make it 13 until the end,” said Ryan.

“We saw so many talented kids we didn’t know what we were going to quite do,” Randy Jackson explained. “I’m still thinking about it,” said Jlo. “I’m like, ‘Did we do the right thing? Did we put the right people in?'”

Meanwhile, Jlo, who would have never made it to the Hollywood round had she tried out for the show, is making certain to use the show to restart her stale music career. Her new music video, “On The Floor”, premiered last night while the judges were mulling over the wild card performances. That video is below –

TELL US – THOUGHTS ON THE TOP 13 FINALISTS? DO YOU LIKE JLO’S NEW MUSIC VIDEO?

The song, titled “Jam” was produced by mega hit producer The Dream, who has worked with the likes of Beyonce, Mariah Carey and Rihanna. The song appears to be about going out to the clubs and picking up guys. And umm, we’ll let you be the judge and jury. The song is below.

The E! network will premiere the song’s music video on March 6.

In other Kim news, according to reports by various media outlets, she is now “in talks” to snag herself a movie role in the upcoming movie about infamous New York mafia don John Gotti.

Kim is apparently in the running to star as Kim Gotti, daughter-in-law of the late John Gotti. Famed actor John Travolta has already been cast as the real-life godfather in the upcoming biopic, which will reportedly be produced by Gotti’s son, John Gotti Jr. “Kim is in talks to do the movie,” reveals a source close to Kim to UsWeekly.

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TELL US – THOUGHTS ON KIM’S FIRST SINGLE? HOT OR NOT?

UPDATE – According to Kim’s blog, Jam will be available for purchase on iTunes at 12 p.m. today. A portion of the proceeds from the sales of the song will be donated to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

UPDATE #2 – It seems the servers from the audio are crashing. We will try to find another audio source.